The seven-member board that oversees the county jail agreed Monday to meet twice a month to approve expenditures after discovering the way bills were paid in the past violated state law.

The board, which normally meets on the fourth Wednesday of every month, will add another meeting on the second Wednesday, immediately after the county commissioners' regular meeting.

"We'll try it this way, see how it works," Judge Vito Geroulo told his fellow board members.

In the past, invoices for jail-related expenses were sent directly to the county controller's office for review and certification, bypassing the prison board.

However, the board learned at its April 24 meeting the process ran counter to state law, which requires it to approve payments before they are certified by the controller. Controller Gary DiBileo raised the issue after Judge Geroulo made him aware of the requirement.

Board members discussed a number of options before voting unanimously to add the second meeting for the purpose of approving current bills, including payroll.

Because corrections employees are paid every two weeks, the main problem with the board continuing to meet just once a month would be payroll, Warden Robert McMillan said.

The three commissioners and the controller are members of the prison board, meaning there is already a quorum of the prison board at most commissioners' meetings.

Contact the writer: dsingleton@timesshamrock.com

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